Beem Weeks's Blog - Posts Tagged "banned-books"
Sex In Stories
I read a tweet the other day from an author posting a comment he'd received regarding one of his novels. The comment went something like this: "Great story, but way too much sex." In all honesty, I've not read the book in question. But the issue of sex in literature has long been a thorn to some, a crime to others, and a selling point to many.
D.H. Lawrence faced all sorts of legal issues concerning his novel Lady Chatterley's Lover upon it's original release back in 1928. That book--and much of his other works--was banned in England and the United States for decades. The Free World at its finest. I understand some people prefer "clean" stories. There are many classics that carry a solid G rating that have been favorites for hundreds of years.
Today, with the advent of self-publishing, writers of erotica have found an audience--some with great success. I don't write erotica, nor do I read it. But that doesn't mean there isn't a place for it. There is sex in my novel. Sexuality is a human trait--indeed a trait of most living creatures. There is the romantic element, which gives rise to the romance novel. For those who want their sex without love, there's lust. Lust is a strong emotion that everybody experiences at some point in life--though some would deny they've ever been guilty of that sort of sin.
Then we come to sex for curiosity's sake. A girl kisses another girl just to see what it's like. A guy cheats on his wife of twenty years just to satisfy an urge to know what it would feel like to be with somebody else. Sex and sexuality is part of being human. It's part of being alive. It's real life. It's what gives breath to the fictional characters authors create. To deny it is to deny our humanity.
Now that doesn't mean you have to read about it in some novel that makes you uncomfortable. That's why we still love the classics.
So if you're not into sex in your story, pick up a copy of Little Women, Moby Dick, or A Farewell to Arms. A great book is always a great book.
D.H. Lawrence faced all sorts of legal issues concerning his novel Lady Chatterley's Lover upon it's original release back in 1928. That book--and much of his other works--was banned in England and the United States for decades. The Free World at its finest. I understand some people prefer "clean" stories. There are many classics that carry a solid G rating that have been favorites for hundreds of years.
Today, with the advent of self-publishing, writers of erotica have found an audience--some with great success. I don't write erotica, nor do I read it. But that doesn't mean there isn't a place for it. There is sex in my novel. Sexuality is a human trait--indeed a trait of most living creatures. There is the romantic element, which gives rise to the romance novel. For those who want their sex without love, there's lust. Lust is a strong emotion that everybody experiences at some point in life--though some would deny they've ever been guilty of that sort of sin.
Then we come to sex for curiosity's sake. A girl kisses another girl just to see what it's like. A guy cheats on his wife of twenty years just to satisfy an urge to know what it would feel like to be with somebody else. Sex and sexuality is part of being human. It's part of being alive. It's real life. It's what gives breath to the fictional characters authors create. To deny it is to deny our humanity.
Now that doesn't mean you have to read about it in some novel that makes you uncomfortable. That's why we still love the classics.
So if you're not into sex in your story, pick up a copy of Little Women, Moby Dick, or A Farewell to Arms. A great book is always a great book.
Censorship In The Writing Community
We all know the titles: Lolita, Lady Chatterley's Lover, Naked Lunch. Each of these books have, at times, been the banned by various governments around the world. Today, all three of these works are considered classics among literary scholars.
When first released, The Diary of Anne Frank found resistance in Lebanon due to it's favorable portrayal of Jews and Israel.
John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath met with a brief banning (in the region of California in which the story is set) for its unflattering portrayal of local residents.
It seems just about any book has the potential to offend someone somewhere in the world. These bans range from the silly (Alice's Adventures In Wonderland was banned in China for its depiction of talking animals), to the scary (A death sentence is still in effect against author Salmon Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses).
Let's take a look at some other notable victims of super zealous governmental overreach: Brave New World was banned in Ireland for references to sexual promiscuity; Green Eggs and Ham became forbidden literature in The People's Republic of China due to it's portrayal of early Marxism; Frankenstein was labeled "obscene" by the apartheid government of South Africa, rendering the classic horror tale banned.
We can look back at a multitude of other amazing works that were once forbidden in various parts of planet: All Quiet on the Western Front, Animal Farm, Uncle Tom's Cabin. But what about the world in which we live today? Are we still facing far-reaching governmental control over what we are or are not allowed to read? And who are these people making such decisions?
The war to keep smut or politically sensitive materials out of your hands is still being fought in virtually every nation on Earth.
I've read several articles online in recent weeks dealing with attacks on those books commonly known as erotic fiction. Oh, there aren't any outright bans on the works, but, with a growing list of e-retailers refusing to stock these titles, the result is the same: A book unavailable to the public is effectively banned.
But even in this there is the stench of hypocrisy. Where a book dealer will refuse to carry erotic titles by indie authors, they have no problem stocking a big money-maker like Fifty Shades of Gray. Some retailers are even equating shape-shifting werewolf romances with bestiality, thus refusing to carry these novels. Have they refused to sell any of the Twilight series? Not likely; there's too much money to be made.
I don't read erotic fiction. I'm just not a fan. But that doesn't mean I want to see these titles banned or ignored by retailers. These writers work hard to create and market their stories to an ever-growing market. It's a shame to hear about this retailer or that one refusing to sell books, which more often than not, are written by indie authors.
The only form of censorship I can ever agree with is self-censorship. Allow me the chance to check myself. I don't need some politician or religious figure or business person to determine what words will come from my pen.
If you're a fan of erotic fiction written by indie authors, stand up for your rights and the rights of said authors. Let those retailers know you won't be doing business with them as long as they refuse to give you a choice in what you will or will not purchase and read.
When first released, The Diary of Anne Frank found resistance in Lebanon due to it's favorable portrayal of Jews and Israel.
John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath met with a brief banning (in the region of California in which the story is set) for its unflattering portrayal of local residents.
It seems just about any book has the potential to offend someone somewhere in the world. These bans range from the silly (Alice's Adventures In Wonderland was banned in China for its depiction of talking animals), to the scary (A death sentence is still in effect against author Salmon Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses).
Let's take a look at some other notable victims of super zealous governmental overreach: Brave New World was banned in Ireland for references to sexual promiscuity; Green Eggs and Ham became forbidden literature in The People's Republic of China due to it's portrayal of early Marxism; Frankenstein was labeled "obscene" by the apartheid government of South Africa, rendering the classic horror tale banned.
We can look back at a multitude of other amazing works that were once forbidden in various parts of planet: All Quiet on the Western Front, Animal Farm, Uncle Tom's Cabin. But what about the world in which we live today? Are we still facing far-reaching governmental control over what we are or are not allowed to read? And who are these people making such decisions?
The war to keep smut or politically sensitive materials out of your hands is still being fought in virtually every nation on Earth.
I've read several articles online in recent weeks dealing with attacks on those books commonly known as erotic fiction. Oh, there aren't any outright bans on the works, but, with a growing list of e-retailers refusing to stock these titles, the result is the same: A book unavailable to the public is effectively banned.
But even in this there is the stench of hypocrisy. Where a book dealer will refuse to carry erotic titles by indie authors, they have no problem stocking a big money-maker like Fifty Shades of Gray. Some retailers are even equating shape-shifting werewolf romances with bestiality, thus refusing to carry these novels. Have they refused to sell any of the Twilight series? Not likely; there's too much money to be made.
I don't read erotic fiction. I'm just not a fan. But that doesn't mean I want to see these titles banned or ignored by retailers. These writers work hard to create and market their stories to an ever-growing market. It's a shame to hear about this retailer or that one refusing to sell books, which more often than not, are written by indie authors.
The only form of censorship I can ever agree with is self-censorship. Allow me the chance to check myself. I don't need some politician or religious figure or business person to determine what words will come from my pen.
If you're a fan of erotic fiction written by indie authors, stand up for your rights and the rights of said authors. Let those retailers know you won't be doing business with them as long as they refuse to give you a choice in what you will or will not purchase and read.
